Industry insiders concerned about the possibility of a potential actors’ strike will have to wait a little bit longer to know for sure. SAG-AFTRA and top studios and streamers have agreed to extend their current contract negotiations until July 12 at 11:59 p.m.
The two parties announced that they would delay the expiration of the union’s current TV/Theatrical contracts package on Friday, mere hours before those agreements were set to expire at midnight. This move will allow for more time for negotiations and for ongoing projects to continue operating under SAG-AFTRA agreements until the new expiration date. If the two parties do not reach an agreement by the end of the day on July 12, the union can still call a strike — which, if it came to pass, would be its first targeting major film and television companies in four decades, and, coupled with an ongoing writers’ strike, would further hamper the industry.
Negotiations are set to continue on Saturday, sources say.
The union’s TV/Theatrical negotiating committee wrote in an open letter to members on Friday night not to “mistake this extension for weakness.” The committee explained that it was operating under an unusually abbreviated timeframe to negotiate a “comprehensive and inclusive” deal and that the decision was made “in order to exhaust every opportunity to achieve the righteous contract we all demand and deserve.” The letter concluded, “We see you. We hear you. We are you.”
The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have been engaged in negotiations since June 7 over a new package of three-year contracts concerning around 160,000 performers. With this latest negotiation, the union is looking to institute strong protections for members around artificial intelligence, raise wage floors, amplify streaming residuals, further regulate self-taped auditions and protect the union’s health, retirement and pension plans. Studios and streamers, meanwhile, are facing economic headwinds after Wall Street turned on unprofitable streamers and will be looking to reign in spending.
The union went into its 2023 round of TV/theatrical negotiations with a significant bargaining chip: a strike authorization vote. Nearly 98 percent of its voting members greenlit a potential strike if negotiators decided to call on after the TV/theatrical contracts expire on June 30.
Union negotiators suggested in a message to members on Saturday that talks with employers have been fruitful. In a video sent to members on Saturday, SAG-AFTRA president and national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said the negotiations had been “extremely productive.” Added Drescher, “We’re standing strong and we’re going to achieve a seminal deal.”
But this update appeared to spark concerns from some high-profile members that negotiators might be settling too early. On Tuesday, hundreds of high-profile SAG-AFTRA members told union leaders in a letter that they were “prepared to strike” in order to reach a “transformative” deal.
